New Palaro gems expected

EDUCATION Secretary Armin Luistro yesterday expressed confidence this year’s Palarong Pambansa could come up with real gems from among the raw talents coming from the 17 regions throughout the archipelago.

Luistro, whose department is in charge of the organization of the annual talent-search from among elementary and high school students, said the Lingayen, Pangasinan edition which will be held May 6 to 12 should open the doors for young Filipino athletes to be like Lydia de Vega and Dyan Castillejo.

“While we expect that Palarong Pambansa will boost regional pride among our competing regional athletic associations, to the athletes, joining the competition has a deeper meaning,” said Luistro in a statement. “It could be the first step to reaching their dreams since it opens many doors of opportunities to unfold their full potentials.”

The Palaro suffered a dearth of talent the past years as athletes failed to surpass previous performances in measurable sports like track and field and swimming.

Among those cited are boxer Jade Bornia, 800-meter runner Rachiel Paterno in elementary athletics, Romnick Nor in high school 100-meter dash, Mae Barit of Region 11 in athletics and Jomel Renolayan in arnis.